Piper J-3 accident near Big Lake, Alaska, August 18, 2007
On August 18, 2007 at about 6:45 pm local time, a Piper J-3, registered N98875, was substantially damaged in an accident near Big Lake, Alaska. It was an instructional flight under general aviation rules (Part 91). No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved. The weather was visual conditions (good weather).
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The NTSB's probable cause their words, unchanged
The flight instructor's delayed instructions to apply the carburetor heat, and his inadequate supervision. A factor contributing to the accident was carburetor icing conditions.
Source: NTSB aviation accident database, copy made October 4, 2026. Docket and reports at the NTSB.
What the record shows
- Date
- August 18, 2007 · about 6:45 pm local time
- Place
- Big Lake, Alaska · map
- Type
- Accident
- Injuries
- No one was hurt; 2 people were on board or involved.
- Weather
- visual conditions (good weather)
- Aircraft
- Piper J-3 · all J-3s on the register
- Registration
- N98875 · registry record · serial 19135
- Damage
- Substantial damage
- Flight
- Instructional flight · general aviation rules (Part 91)
The NTSB's narrative final · quoted from the NTSB record
The local instructional flight was on an extended, low power descending approach to a remote airstrip when the engine lost power. Remedial actions to restore engine power, including pulling the carburetor heat on, did not restore engine power. The flight instructor seated in the rear seat of the tandem, two seat airplane, realized the airplane was too low to reach the airstrip, and he took the controls from the front seat pilot. The instructor made an off-airport emergency landing in soft terrain, and the airplane nosed over. Postaccident inspection disclosed ample fuel and no preimpact mechanical problems. The front seat pilot related that he did not have the carburetor heat on until the loss of engine power occurred, and the instructor told him to turn it on. He also said that there were low, wispy clouds in the area. A local weather report indicated that the temperature was 57F, and the dew point was 52F. When these values are entered into a carburetor icing probability chart, the results are in the "Serious Icing" category. Carburetor ice likely formed inside the carburetor, which resulted in the loss of engine power. Carburetor heat becomes ineffective once the engine has lost power.
The complete narrative as the NTSB published it. The NTSB's docket holds the report as a PDF and any photographs, statements and other documents from the investigation.
The factual record from the NTSB's investigation tables, in plain English
Pilot
- Certificate: flight instructor, commercial pilot
- Ratings: single-engine land; single-engine sea; instructor: instrument airplane; instrument: airplane
- Flight time: 10,000 hours in all; 1,000 in this make and model; 200 in the last 90 days; 70 in the last 30 days; 10,000 as pilot in command; 5,000 on instruments
- Last flight review: August 1, 2007
- Medical certificate: Class 3 (with waivers/limitations)
- Seat: rear
- Injury: no injuries
The aircraft
- Last inspection: inspection type not recorded
- Maximum gross weight: 1,220 lb
- Seats: 2
- Landing gear: fixed
- Engine: Lycoming O-235 (piston); 0 hours total
The flight
- Departed from: Z41 Anchorage AK at 1:20 pm
- Flight plan: none
- A second pilot was aboard
Weather at the time
- Light: daylight
- Visibility: 10 statute miles
- Sky: clear
- Temperature: 57°F (14°C), dew point 52°F (11°C)
- Altimeter: 29.75 inHg
- Observation at 1:36 pm from PAWS, 14 miles away
Injuries
| Fatal | Serious | Minor | None | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Crew | 2 |
About this page
Everything above comes from the NTSB's public accident database: the narrative, probable cause and findings are the NTSB's own words, and the coded tables behind its report (pilot, aircraft, flight, weather, injuries, sequence of events) are written out in plain English. Pilots' ages, home towns and medical details are left out on purpose. The docket at the NTSB holds the report as a PDF and the investigation's photographs and documents. This site never names pilots, passengers or anyone else involved. A preliminary report describes what is known soon after the event and can change; the final report, with the probable cause, usually follows one to two years later and this page is refreshed when it does. Case number ANC07LA088.